PETALING JAYA: The home minister has been urged to explain how 30 cases of police lockup deaths can be classified as requiring “No Further Action” even though the law requires the deaths to be investigated by a coroner’s inquest.
The activist group Eliminating Deaths & Abuse In Custody Together (Edict) said that an inquest into every death in police lockup is mandatory under Section 334 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The group was commenting on a written parliamentary reply by home minister Hamzah Zainudin on Dec 16 who said that 30 cases of deaths in police lockup had been classified as requiring “No Further Action”.
Edict said they found it surprising that the home minister had replied in such a way, without reference to, and being guided by, existing laws.
“The principle of rule of law must be practised by all parties in order for cases of deaths in custody to be prevented and avoided,” it said.